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Georgia Ruling Party Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
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Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has conceded defeat for his ruling party in Monday’s parliamentary election, handing victory to an opposition coalition led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. Mr. Saakashvili pledged in a televised statement to help the opposition with the process of forming a new government. Election commission officials on Tuesday said Ivanishvili’s Georgia Dream was […]

Tags: , Posted in Africa

Amnesty International Urges Egyptian Police, Military Accountability

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
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Rights group Amnesty International is urging Egypt to hold police and military members responsible for abuses against protesters and to reform those institutions to prevent future violations. In one of two new reports Tuesday, the London-based group said its investigations showed protesters were killed, tortured and abused by Egyptian troops during demonstrations that took place […]

Tags: Posted in Middle East

Six Crew Arrested in Fatal Hong Kong Ferry Crash

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
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Hong Kong police have arrested six crew from two passenger boats that collided in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor, as rescuers continue searching for survivors of the accident that left at least 37 people dead. Police officials said at a news conference Tuesday the crew members are being investigated for “endangering people’s lives at sea,” but […]

Tags: , , , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Hong Kong Boat Collision Leaves 36 Dead

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
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Rescuers continue searching Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor for survivors of a ferry boat collision that killed 36 people who were headed to watch a holiday fireworks show. The ferry, belonging to the Hong Kong Electric Company, sank within minutes of colliding with another passenger boat late Monday, leaving little time for passengers to put on […]

Tags: , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Activists Report Continued Syria Shelling Amid UN Concerns

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
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Syrian activists are reporting continued deadly shelling by government forces, a day after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the ongoing aerial and artillery attacks. Activists said shelling in the Damascus suburb Douma killed two people Tuesday, and that government forces blasted other rebel strongholds outside the capital. The Local Coordination Committees said attacks […]

Tags: Posted in Middle East

Report: Great Barrier Reef Has Lost Half its Coral in Three Decades

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 3:55 am (UTC-5)
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A new study has found that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living organism, has lost more than half its coral in the past three decades. Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science say damage from cyclones and a population explosion of predatory “crown of thorns” starfish are mostly to blame for devastating […]

Tags: , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Rights Group Urges Burma to Drop Charges Against Peace Activists

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 3:15 am (UTC-5)
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Human Rights Watch is urging Burma to drop charges against activists who led protests to mark the United Nations’ International Peace Day without government permission. The New York-based group said Tuesday that up to 13 activists face possible charges for organizing last month’s peaceful demonstrations, which called for an end to violence against ethnic minority […]

Tags: , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Two S.Korean Nuclear Reactors Shut Down Due to Malfunction

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 12:55 am (UTC-5)
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Two South Korean nuclear power reactors have been shut down following apparently unrelated malfunctions. Officials say there is no danger of a radiation leak. South Korean nuclear operators say the Shingori-1 reactor, near the city of Busan, was shut down early Tuesday following a control rod malfunction. A short time later, the number 5 reactor […]

Tags: , Posted in East Asia Pacific

US Slams ‘Harsh’ Sentence Against Cambodia Gov’t Critic

Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 12:25 am (UTC-5)
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The United States says it is “deeply concerned” at the conviction of a prominent Cambodian land rights campaigner who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on insurrection charges. In a statement Monday, the State Department characterized the sentence against Mam Sonando as “harsh” and called on the Cambodian government to immediately release the 71-year-old. […]

Hong Kong Boat Collision Leaves 36 Dead

Posted October 1st, 2012 at 10:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Emergency workers in Hong Kong say at least 36 people died after two passenger boats collided in Victoria Harbor. Authorities say the accident happened late Monday when a boat carrying passengers to see a fireworks display collided with a ferry boat and quickly sank. The vessel belonged to the Hong Kong Electric Company and was […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific